All So I Could Stay
by Write-To-You
Summary: Nia feels like her life has finally become perfect. But then Brainy returns to the 31st century. Is he ever coming back? (season 5 possibility fic with barely any Season 5 spoilers. Brainia with a HAPPY ENDING OF COURSE :)))
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Okay so I've had this vague inkling of an idea tickling my brain every since I heard that Winn was coming back to Supergirl... for awhile I was scared he and Brainy were going to switch again but apparently it's only for a few episodes. Phew! IDK if I could handle not having Brainia. **

**BUT! I still think they could do a pretty interesting plot arc with Winn returning. And so that's what I'm exploring during this fic :)**

Nia didn't want to jinx it, but she felt that right now, her life was as close to perfect as it ever had been.

Sure, she was frustrated with her job. She didn't like the idea of having to either adopt the mindset of a clickbaity youtuber or never be a journalist again. But besides that frustration.. well, everything was as it should be. She and Kara got closer every day. She developed her friendship with James. Game nights with the squad became more frequent, and...

Brainy. Brainy, her loving, adorable, nerdy, sweet, funny, weird boyfriend. Brainy, who would come bring her food right before her lunch break and surprise her by wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her on the cheek. Ever since they had figured everything out, he had been the highlight of her life every single day.

They tried to do a date night every week, whether it was getting dressed up and go out to eat; or curling up on the couch with a blanket and a bowl of popcorn so Nia could introduce some element of pop culture to her boyfriend; or even going to the alien bar and getting scrunched so far into the corner of the booth by the sheer amount of people trying to fit that Nia would basically be in Brainy's lap, his arms around her waist. There were even nights that they would go out on patrol together, and nothing was more attractive to Nia than watching Brainy defend the innocent of National City.

And then there were the days that Nia would show up to the DEO, just to surprise him or because she missed him. Or the more serious times that Alex would call her pleading for her to come drag Brainy away from his work because he had been at his computer for six hours without sleeping or eating or even using the bathroom. Then Nia would fake an emergency with her boss and get to the DEO as fast as legally possible. She would sit on Brainy's desk and run her fingers through his hair until his glazed, reddened eyes slipped shut.

Today wasn't like that. Today Nia had just wanted some Brainy time and had walked to the DEO after work to see if he was free.

"Guess who?" Nia asked playfully. She was standing behind Brainy's swivel chair with her hands over his eyes.

"Let's see.." Brainy hummed. "The only two people who would play such a game would be Kara and Nia. But since Kara doesn't know her own strength most of the time and my face isn't currently being smushed... it must be Nia Nal."

She dropped her hands and he spun to face her, a smile on his face. He was looking up with an expression on his face that Kara always called the "Brainy Dog": wide eyes filled with love and a smile just small enough not to show any teeth.

"Hi," Nia said, looking fondly down at him. "You doing anything right now?"

"Agent Dox!" a voice called over, and Nia turned to see Alex striding towards them. She stopped when she spotted Nia. "Oh. Hey, Nia."

"Hi, Alex," Nia replied. "I was just coming to see if Brainy was free."

Alex sighed tolerantly and looked between the two young adults. She smiled a little. "I suppose he puts in enough extra hours that some unscheduled visiting time would be fine," she allowed. "If we need you, we'll call you."

Brainy nodded quickly and leaped to his feet, like he was worried that Alex would change her mind. Nia didn't think she would. It wouldn't be very fair.

"Come on," she grinned, reaching for Brainy's hand and preparing to drag him to an empty room so they could discuss their day... and maybe do something else that would require mouths but no talking.

Before they could make it far, alarms began blaring all over the DEO's technology center. Alex took a few quick steps forward, squinting at the many screens. Brainy broke away from his girlfriend and Nia let out a sigh, letting him go. Relationships _generally _came before work, but superhero-ing came before everything.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, frowning.

Brainy pressed his fingertips together. "It appears that there is something crashing from the sky. A... ship, of some sorts. Pod-shaped, but bigger than a pod. Rather like..." He trailed off, and Alex raised her eyebrow in his direction. "Rather like the ship that I arrived on, actually."

Nia felt a soft gasp suck it's way into her chest. "Do you think it's the Legion?" she asked, hurrying forward.

"Only one way to find out," Brainy said, managing to keep an unconcerned expression on his face. "Shall we call Supergirl and go take a look?"

Alex nodded, reaching for her watch. She gave the center button a press and in less than a minute Kara gave flying down through the open front of the building. "Hey guys!" she greeting, walking in with strong, purposeful strides that made her curled hair bounce behind her. "What's going on?"

"A ship is headed toward National City's harbor," Alex told her, eyes still on the screens. "Brainy thinks it might be the Legion ship."

Kara's eye went wide, and Nia could understand why. She hadn't been around when any of this happened a few years previous, but she had heard stories from Alex, Kara and Brainy that illustrated the Legion, along with Kara's history with a man named Mon-El.

"Uh, okay," Kara said after a moment. "You want me to go check it out?"

"We should all go," Brainy replied with a stiff nod. He glanced at Nia. "Dreamer?"

Nia grinned, happy she was being included. Even though she had been fighting crime for awhile, there were still days that people seemed to forget that she could help them out with stopping a bad guy. "I'll get changed."

**linebreaker**

The ship had managed to crash a couple yards from the Harbor's dock. When Brainy, Kara and Nia arrived, it was halfway submerged in the water, steaming slightly. There was a crowd clustered around the edge of one of the docks, but the people in it moved rapidly backward when Brainy, Nia and Kara landed.

"So..." Kara began, before trailing off and glancing at Brainy.

He looked about as excited as she sounded, and Nia frowned. "Uh.. do you wanna get it out of the water?"

"Oh, right, right." Kara flew back into the air and grabbed the nose of the ship. Nia winced as she lifted it up, waiting for the entire front to peel off. It didn't, and Kara was able to place the ship down with a bump that was probably a bit more forceful than strictly necessary.

Brainy tucked his hands behind his back and took one long stride forward, so that he was only about a foot away from the side of the ship. Realizing that neither of her friends were going to make the first move, Nia let out a soft sigh and knocked.

About a yard down from where she was standing, a panel in the ship slid open. Two figures stumbled out, one of them shorter and scrawnier with dark hair and the other muscular and boyishly attractive.

Kara's face positively lit up. The taller man smiled hopefully back at her, an expression that faded when Kara let out a squeal of, "_Winn_!"

The dark haired man crashed into Kara and the two of them were soon locked in a huge hug. The other man coughed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck, but Kara flat out ignored him. "Alex is going to be _so_ excited to see you," she gushed, pulling back a little and beaming at Winn. "_I'm_ so excited to see you."

"The feeling is totally mutual," Winn replied with a huge smile. He peeped past Kara's shoulder and caught sight of Nia. "Oh! Hi. You weren't... you weren't here when I left."

"No," Nia agreed, feeling a little awkward. Winn was one of the OGs. Winn was someone she had heard stories about. "I'm, uh, new? Hi."

"Why don't you guys come back to the DEO," Kara said. The sentence was addressed to both Winn and the other man (it had to be Mon-El. Who else could it be but Mon-El?), but she was still only looking at the former. "And we can make all of the necessary introductions and explanations? A _lot_ has changed since you left." She glanced over her shoulder and smiled teasingly at her two friends. "Brainy has a girlfriend."

Presumably-Mon-El laughed disbelievingly. "Brainy? _You_ have a girlfriend?"

Brainy frowned and crossed his arms defensively over his chest. Nia remembered the bits and pieces he had told her about Mon-El. Brainy had liked being apart of the Legion, but his teammates then hadn't been like his teammates now. They had been more efficient, maybe... but not centered on kindness. Not a family.

"Yeah," Nia replied for Brainy, stepping over to him and sliding her hand into his. She knew that, somewhere in the crowd behind them, someone would have their phone out and the conspiracy of "Brainiac and Dreamer in a relationship?" would be blowing up all of the internet in a few hours, but she didn't care all that much.

"Oh." Mon-El coughed again and looked back to Kara. "Uh... anyway. DEO sounds great."

Kara nodded stiffly, finally looking at him, but only for a second. "Come on," she told Winn, putting her arm around his shoulders. "I haven't taken you flying in _way_ too long."

He beamed at her and they lifted into the air. Brainy turned to Nia with a faint smile. "Shall we?"

She nodded, but her gaze lingered on Mon-El. He was staring after Kara with a dejected look on his face, and she shook her head a little. "You need a ride too, huh?"

"I've got a Legion ring," Mon-El replied. "But I do kinda need to know the way."

Brainy sighed distastefully. "Fine," he agreed, putting his arm around Nia's waist and lifting her into the air with him, the same way he always did when they flew together. "Follow along, Mon-El of Daxam."

**linebreaker**

Alex positively flipped when she saw Winn. After she had finished hugging him, she pulled back and slapped him playfully in the chest. "You stopped returning my calls," she accused, and if Nia wasn't mistaken, she thought she saw the sparkle of tears in Alex's eyes. "I _missed you_, Winn."

"I missed you, too," Winn replied, smiling fondly at her. "All of you guys. I wanted to come visit sooner, but... well, time travel isn't exactly like taking a two hour road trip. Or even, like, a ten hour road trip. Or even like flying back from the moon."

"Yes, we get it, you live far away," Alex huffed, before putting her arm around Winn's shoulders in a similar way that Kara did and leading him off deeper into the DEO. "I have so many things to fill you in on, man. For starters: I'm dating James' sister now."

Her voice faded off, but they could all still hear Winn's, "_What_?!" as the two of them walked away.

"So," Kara said, finally turning to face Mon-El and crossing her arms protectively across her chest. "What're you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Mon-El repeated in confusion. "I- Winn wanted to come home...?"

"But why are _you_ here?" Kara pressed.

"Because you cannot drive the time ship alone," Brainy spoke up. He and Nia were standing a couple feet away from Mon-El and Kara, watching them. "But why did you not send Irma?"

"Yeah, we're... not really on speaking terms right now," Mon-El replied with a wince. "We had kind of a falling out after... everything last year, and she left the Legion. So I was really the only person who could take Winn home." He let out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm- I'm sorry if that makes you unhappy, Kara. I just... I also really wanted to see you, you know? I do really miss you."

"I missed you, too," Kara blurted, before her eyebrows lowered into an expression that looked more angry than sentimental. "But it doesn't matter. I'm glad you brought Winn home. How long will you be staying?"

Her tone was so formal that it made Nia wince. In a way, she kind of felt bad for Mon-El. But she wasn't about to blame Kara for dealing with everything the way she was. She could have been doing a whole lot worse.

"Uh..." Mon-El glanced at Brainy, but there was no support there. "I don't know. As long as Winn wants." He let out a quick laugh. "Pros of a time ship, I guess."

Kara nodded quickly. "I'm going to go catch up with Winn," she said, before turning on her heel and striding after her sister and friend.

Mon-El turned to Brainy, and Nia was consoled to see a certain level of kindness on his face. "How have you been, Querl?" Mon-El asked.

"I have been incredibly well," Brainy replied, taking Nia's hand in his again. "And yourself?"

"Fine, I guess," Mon-El said with a shrug. "Oh, Nura says hi, by the way."

If he had been expecting Brainy to smile, that was the opposite of what happened. Brainy face went pale and he took a quick step back. "N-Nura? Nura Nal?"

"Wait, my descendant?" Nia asked, eyes wide. There had always been a weird sort of vibe going on with Brainy and Nura. He never spoke about her, but Nia always got the impression that they had been close. She wasn't exactly jealous, but...

Mon-El raised his eyebrow. "Sorry, who exactly are you?" he asked Nia curiously.

"Nia Nal," Nia introduced herself, holding out her hand. "You're Mon-El, right?"

He nodded, shaking her hand. "Crazy. Brainy managed to be best friends with Nura and then go to a different Century and end up dating her great great great etcetera grandmother." He let out a laugh. "Only Querl."

Nia smiled. He wasn't wrong.

"Nura..." Brainy murmured, before his spine zipped up as straight as a table leg and he grabbed Mon-El's elbow. "A word, please?"

"Uh, sure," Mon-El agreed with a confused smile, letting Brainy drag him a ways across the room. Nia raised her eyebrow, not appreciating the exclusion.

"Mon-El," Brainy said as soon as they were out of earshot. He had turned them so Nia couldn't read their lips, something he knew from experience she was very good at. "Is Nura... alright?"

"Um..." Mon-El frowned. "She's... fine? I mean, she misses you, if that's what you're looking for..."

Brainy shook his head. "No, no. It's just..." He broke off and glanced over his shoulder at Nia. She met his gaze and her eyebrows and lips quirked up with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. He turned back around. "It... does not matter. But I would like you to know that I- I will be returning with you to the 31st century, when you go back."

"_What_?!" Mon-El cried, lurching to face him. "You're going back? But you- you have a team here. You have a _girlfriend_."

"I am aware," Brainy murmured. He looked over his shoulder again to see Nia had moved to rest her elbows on one of the tables, chin in her hands. Some people might have thought that a girl with her cheeks pushed all the way up to her eyes was unattractive, but even in the slightly unflattering position Brainy still saw her as the most beautiful thing in the multiverse. Always. "It will... not be permanent. There are just a few things that I need to do."

"I mean." Mon-El shook his head, bewildered. "I can't stop you."

"No," Brainy agreed, letting out a long breath. "You cannot. Please let me know about a day before you are planning to depart, so I may prepare accordingly."

He turned and walked away. Nia glanced up and watching him go, frowning. She considered following him, but decided against it. Brainy could lock up like the Fortress of Solitude when he wanted to (though, when she was the one trying to break in the Fortress generally became a cheap knockoff), and besides. If he had something going on, she wanted him to tell her on his own.

**Author's Note: OMGGG this is funnnnn :D :D Usually I write stories that take place along the "characters getting together" plot line, but with the two of them it is SO FUN to write them in a relationship. **

**Okay so, gonna be honest... I can't remember the exact details of why Brainy stayed in the 21st century, or why Winn left, or how Mon-El and Kara left off, or even how Brainy and Mon-El interacted. So I am SO SORRY if there are discrepancies or characters are OOC. Bare with me and I'll do my best!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I'm so sowwyyyy if Nia is OOC in this chapter. She doesn't usually show like a ton of grieving emotion so I wasn't sure exactly how to handle it. I hope you guys enjoy anyway! **

After about a week of game nights, hanging out, and visiting all of his old favorite places in Central City, Winn decided it was time to head back to the 31st Century.

"Gosh, it's like you leaving all over again," Alex said with a watery laugh and she stood next to her friend.

"I'll come back and visit," Winn promised. "Maybe I'll even come back permanently, one day. We'll see. I just... I'm -_we're_\- doing some really great stuff there. I can't just leave it all behind, you know?"

"I think you are being a hero," Kara told him, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder. "But just remember that you can be a hero here, too. And that we miss the heck out of you when you're gone. I think that sometimes, people think that we, like, replaced you with Brainy, but... you guys aren't the same."

"We love both of you," Alex added quickly, glancing over at Brainy, who was standing next to Nia with her arm around her waist. He had been strangely clingy since Mon-El arrived, but Nia wasn't complaining. It was a nice switch from the constant handshakes of a few months ago.

"Of course!" Kara agreed, eyes wide. "Just in different ways. I mean, Winn was my best friend for like, five years. And so we're very sad to see him go. If we could have both of you, that would be the best possible solution."

"Hey, then who would I get?" Mon-El interjected in mock-offense. He punched Winn lightly in the shoulder. "Gotta keep the bros together, amiright?"

"Of course my dude," Winn replied with a laugh, going through a quick handshake with him. When they had finished, he turned back to Kara and Alex. "I'll see you guys soon, okay?"

"Okay," Alex whispered, leaning in and giving him and long hug. Kara joined it, and the three of them stood there for a moment before Winn pulled back with a sniff and turned quickly toward the door. Mon-El smiled at the two girls, gaze lingering on Kara like it always did and always had, then went after Winn.

Brainy turned to Nia. "I'm going to... grab something," he said vaguely.

She smiled bemusedly at him. "Um... okay?"

"Yes," he agreed, but just stood there, holding her hands and rubbing at her skin with his thumbs. Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't a very long kiss, but surprising enough to make Alex choke a little and break into a coughing fit.

"Uhh..." Nia pulled back first, smiling (because how could she not when Brainy kissed her) but unsure. "What... was the that for?"

"There was no reason," Brainy murmured slowly. "I love you, Nia Nal."

Confusion was begin to turn to alarm, but Brainy pulled back and walked rapidly away from her before she could say anything. Nia spun to Alex and Kara. "Uh... that was weird. That was weird, right?'

Kara shrugged, sending a grin over in Alex's direction. "Nia, it's Brainy. He's _always_ weird."

"No, I know, I know," Nia mumbled, looking over her shoulder at where her boyfriend had just been. He had already vanished, though Nia wasn't sure if it was down a hallway or from the DEO entirely. "That just felt, like... abnormally weird."

"I agree," Alex said slowly. She frowned. "Do you want me to go after him?"

"Like, follow him?" Nia asked. "No, no, that's... that wouldn't be very trusting of me." She took a deep breath. "It's fine. It's fine! He'll tell me when he's ready."

"Uh huh," Alex agreed unconvincingly. Nia turned and walked off towards the exit, and Alex frowned a little deeper. "It's odd," she said. "Mon-El and Winn show up, and then Brainy starts acting strangely and being like _that_ around Nia... kind of like he was-"

She broke of suddenly and jolted straight like she had been electrocuted. "I need to go after him," she said urgently to Kara. "Call me if Brainy gets back here, okay?"

"Huh?" Kara squinted at her sister. "Nia _just_ said not to follow him."

"I don't care," Alex replied, shaking her head so sharply that her hair landed on her face. She brushed it back impatiently, already beginning to run towards the door. "We need to find him before it's too late."

**linebreaker**

It had been two hours since Mon-El and Winn left. Alex had since returned from her hunt for Brainy, face creased with worry. He hadn't shown up at the DEO, and he hadn't been at his apartment, or Nia's, or the alien bar or anywhere where he usually went. Kara still wasn't sure why they should be worried because Alex was too distracted to give her any concrete information, but she had been forced to give up the search to head to work.

Kara walked through the doors of CatCo with her blond hair in a neat ponytail and her glasses on. She had just enough time to almost make it to her office before she heard the sound of shattering china and a loud gasp. Kara spun around to see Nia standing at her desk, her coffee mug in hundreds of off-white pieces on the floor and with a coffee stain on her dress, holding a note.

"Nia...?" Kara asked hesitatingly, backtracking across the room towards her friend. "What's going on?"

Nia sank into a chair, her hands shaking so hard that the paper fluttered to the floor. "He's gone," she whispered, her voice breaking and tears beginning to role down her cheeks. "Oh my God, Kara. He left."

"What?" Kara gasped, hurrying to pick up the letter before too much of the spilled coffee was absorbed into the paper.

There were a few lines of wavering blue pen ink in Brainy's handwriting. Some spots were smudged, like they had gotten wet, and the whole thing was so hastily done that it was almost impossible to read.

_Dearest Nia,_

_I would ask that you don't look for me or worry about me. By the time you read this, I will already be gone. I am safe with Mon-El and Winslow. Please do not try to contact me. I have certain things that I must take care of in the 31st Century, things that need to be done if I will have any peace of mind._

_All of my love, forever and ever and ever,_

_Brainy _

Kara's mouth fell open slightly. "I don't believe it," she whispered. "He left? He- he went back?"

Nia nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. She bent over at the waist and buried her head in her hands. "He didn't even tell me," she sobbed, fingers raking into her hair and pulling so hard at it that Kara thought she might rip it out. "He didn't even say- say goodbye."

She let out a wail and Kara dropped her knees, heedless of the coffee, and pulled her into her arms. "It's okay," she whispered, rubbing Nia's back even as she caught sight of almost everyone on their floor getting up from their desks and walking cautiously over to see what had happened. "Shhh... it's going to be okay."

"No," Nia gasped, pulling back and shooting to her feet. "It's _not_ going to be okay. Kara, I love him and I never even got the chance to tell him! _He left me! How is that okay?!_"

Her face crumpled and she pitched forward into Kara's arms again. "I just-" she whispered, shoulders shaking as Kara hugged her tightly. "I just don't understand how he could- how he could leave me."

"Maybe he didn't," Kara murmured consolingly. "We don't have all the details yet. Don't lose hope, okay? Come on. Let's head back to the DEO and talk with Alex. I think... I think she had a feeling something like this was going to happen."

Nia pulled back again, but more gently this time. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and her mascara had run down her cheeks like black scratch marks. "She... knew? Why didn't she- why didn't she say anything?"

"She couldn't have known for sure," Kara guessed, shrugging a little. "She probably didn't want to freak you out if nothing was actually going on."

Nia sniffed and tried to wipe her cheeks on her palm. "My makeup..." she murmured, looking down at the black smudges on her hand.

"It doesn't look so bad," Kara reassured her, putting her arm around Nia's shoulders. She could feel all of the eyes boring into them. These people might have been their coworkers, but they were still reporters, which ultimately meant they were nosy as heck. "Let's go, okay?"

Nia nodded, and Kara led her out CatCo.

**linebreaker**

Alex's eyes widened with horror and understanding when Kara and Nia arrived at the DEO. "He's... he's really gone, isn't he?" she whispered, taking in Nia's tearstained face and the limpness in her posture that came to most people after they had just experienced a shock. "Nia... come here, honey."

She replaced Kara's arm around Nia's shoulders and walked her slowly into one of the more cozy side rooms. Kara used her super speed and grabbed a blanket and a cup of tea (Alex wasn't sure how she boiled the water at super speed, but it probably had something to do with the scorch mark on the edge of the cup), and handed them to her friend.

"Thank you," Nia murmured, her voice dull and stuffy. Alex helped her put the blanket around her shoulders, but Nia didn't take the edges to pull it tighter. She held the mug of tea in a lose grip, resting the cup unflinchingly on her bare skin even though it must have been burning hot.

Alex let out a long harsh breath and sat down. Kara took the seat across from her, so they were ringing Nia on either side. She pushed the note from Brainy across to Alex, who took it without speaking and read through it.

"Could he-" Nia's voice wavered a little as she broke the silence. "Could he have been held at- at gunpoint or something? Maybe- maybe someone _made_ him go back to the 31st century. Maybe he- he didn't want to?"

Alex and Kara exchanged glances. Nia was grasping at straws, but if it was keeping her from shattering they weren't about to stop her. "Maybe..." Kara murmured unconvincingly.

Nia placed her mug on the table and then put her head onto her arms, face hidden on either side by her hair. Alex reached over and rubbed her back. "I think we should just give him some time," she suggested softly. "He said that he needed to take care of something in the 31st century so he could have "peace of mind". Who knows what those things are? Maybe once he's figured everything out, he'll come back."

Kara's face darkened. "I swear, if Mon-El said something that made him leave..."

"He was acting kind of weird when he mentioned Nura," Nia mumbled into her arms.

"Nura...?" Kara echoed blankly, glancing up to Alex.

Alex nodded. "That's your descendant, right? The one that Brainy knows?"

All at once, Nia shot upright. "Oh my gosh," she breathed, her face draining of all its color. "It's because of us. It's because we're together."

"Huh?" Kara frowned at her, uncomprehending.

"If Nura's my descendant..." Nia said slowly. "And Brainy and I stay together... that means that he would have to be her great-something grandfather. If he's not..."

"Nura will be erased from existence," Alex finished, sitting back in her chair.

Nia nodded slowly, her eyes wide and hopeless. "He went back to save her life."

**Author's Note: The plot thickensss... will Brainy return?! What do you think? **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: LOL I get the words ancestor and descendant mixed up and with a story like this that's really not a good thing XD**

Brainy stared out the window as the time ship zipped through space at light-speed. He had been awhile since he had seen so many stars, even if they were all blurred together when he was going this fast.

"Hey man." Brainy glanced up as Winn spoke, and he saw the other man coming over to take a seat across from him. "How're you holding up?'

How _was_ he holding up? If Brainy was being honest, not very well. He shifted restlessly in his seat, eyes still on the sky. "I was... expecting this to be easier. But I cannot help but run the simulations on how Nia Nal will react when she sees my note."

Winn choked and lurched forward. "Hold up!" he cried, gaping at Brainy. "You left her a _note_? You didn't even tell her in person?!"

Brainy's shoulders curled in slightly. "I... I believed that it would be too difficult. She- she would convince me to stay, and there is a 86.4 percent chance that if she told me to remain with her, I would have abandoned my mission." He took a deep breath and straightened his spine importantly. "But I cannot. I must see how my relationship with Nia Nal has effected Nura."

Winn's mouth pinched. "And what if it's not good?" he prodded. "What if it turns out that you being with Nia will erase Nura from existence?"

Brainy swallowed. He would be lying if he had said he hadn't considered that possibility over a dozen times. "I will... I will have to remain in the 31st Century for good, then," he said finally, voice tight.

Winn leaned back and let out a slow whistle, rubbing his hand in his hair. "Man," he said, shaking his head. "You'd really give all of it up? You'd give _Nia_ up?"

"To save Nura?" Brainy clenched his hands into fists in his lap. "Yes. I would do just about anything. Nia Nal will move on. She is- is beautiful and brave and the most amazing female on the entirety of the Earth in the 21st Century and possibly of all time. She will have no problem finding another... _man_," he spat the word out, barely able to resist shuddering at the idea of Nia being with someone else, "to make her happy."

Winn raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you seem_ so_ pleased about that idea."

"Well, what do you suggest I do, Winslow?" Brainy demanded, halfway between angry and desperate. "If- if I am not Nura's intended ancestor, I will have to pick between saving the woman who was my closest friend for nearly a dozen years and the love of my life. How is one- how is one supposed to chose on something like that?!"

"I guess people aren't supposed to," Winn replied, shrugging uncertainly. "Usually you can have a best friend and still keep your relationship." He laughed suddenly, but Brainy noted that it wasn't one of humorous kind. "Hey man, I went through the same thing you did."

Brainy frowned. "Wait a moment... you were best friends with your soulmates' descendant before meeting said soulmate? How could this detail escape my attention?"

"No, no," Winn shook his head and laughed again, but this one was actually amused. "I mean, like... okay, so it's not _exactly_ the same situation, but... Kara was my best friend for five years, and I was in love with her. So I had to make the decision between telling her I loved her and risking losing my best friend, or having my best friend but not ever experiencing a relationship with her. Ya know? I mean, for you you're, like, struggling with Nura getting erased from existence entirely, and not just from your life, but... I dunno, it feels relatable, kinda?"

Brainy nodded slowly, his face turning from dejected to thoughtful. It was always easier to cope when he had something to puzzle out. "Yes... I understand what you mean. And, though in your case your best friend and the love of your life was the same woman... it is the same choice as what I have to make."

"As what you _might_ have to make," Winn corrected, reaching out and nudging him lightly in the shoulder. "Remember that you might not have to decide between Nia and Nura, Brainy. Everything could work out."

Brainy wasn't particularly hopeful, mostly because he didn't want to be let down. But he nodded anyway, and rested his head back against the chair. As his eyes glazed over the stars whipping past the window panel, he tried to imagine Nura's face.

But even though it was still ingrained in his databases, all he could see was Nia. Her wavy, chocolatey, impossibly nice-smelling hair. Her dancing, emotive brown eyes. Her smile, which quirked in different ways depending on her feelings. In a lot of ways, Nura was much like her. But Brainy had never been in love with Nura.

How could he chose? There would never be another Nia as long as he lived. She didn't know yet, but she was it for him. She had been since the moment she stepped in front of him at the pizza place and ordered the owner to stop harassing him. But there would never be another Nura, either. Nura had been the only thing close to family when he had none, and losing her would mean losing the last good thing in his past life.

Brainy shut his eyes. But Nia's face remained in his mind, her eyes dancing and her hair blowing even while he knew all along that if it meant saving Nura, he would have to let her go.

**linebreaker**

It was still remarkable to Brainy that he could travel one-thousand years in under four days. As the ship touched down in the 31st Century, Brainy breathed in the clean, greenhouse-gas free air and looked up at the sight of a modernized National City. It had been awhile, but his 12th level intellect made things impossible to forget. Without hesitation, Brainy turned towards the street that would lead them to the Legion building.

"Here we are," Mon-El announced unnecessarily as he stepped out of the time ship.

"Clearly," Brainy replied shortly. He didn't like being brusque with Mon-El, but he was grumpy and nervous. His talk with Winn had been helpful because it had been an important reality check, but it hadn't made him feel any better or comforted in any way.

"Okie dokie," Winn said as he following Mon-El out of the ship. "Shall we head to the Legion home base?"

To Brainy's surprise, Mon-El and Winn began walking in the wrong direction. "Uh..." he muttered, hurrying after them. "Excuse me, but... has the Legion building... moved?"

"Yeah, there was a pretty big fight awhile back," Mon-El said with an offhanded shrug. "Whole place blew up, and it was easier just to get somewhere new than rebuild from the ground up."

"Oh," was all Brainy could manage as he followed quickly behind the other two men. It was strange to think that time had been passing while he was in the 21st Century. Things had happened, important, vital things like the entire Legion building blowing up, and he hadn't even known. "What... other changes should I be alerted to?"

Mon-El thought for a second. "Well... I mean, I told you about Irma already. She's no longer with the Legion. We've updated our rings a little... they now include shields. We can get you a new one while you're here, if you want."

Brainy's hand flew to the ring on his finger. He had stopped fiddling with it as much in the past few months, usually because Nia's hand was in the way, but there were still the occasional relapses of the old habit. "Uh, no, no, that's alright," he said quickly, rubbing the familiar metal with his pointer finger and thumb. "I... like this one."

"Alright," Mon-El agreed with a shrug. "Yeah, other than that, not a ton has happened. Fought a few bad guys. Rebuilt the Legion building. Got a couple new recruits and buried some older ones. No one you know, really."

Brainy nodded quickly and changed the subject. "If you two do not mind.. I would like to see Nura as quickly as possible."

"Yeah, definitely," Winn agreed, glancing at Mon-El for confirmation. "I messaged her when we got here, so she knows you're coming."

"Good," Brainy murmured. "I believe that there will be enough surprises coming her way without my sudden presence being one of them."

"Yeah, didn't tell her about the girlfriend." Winn winced. "Or how the girlfriend happens to be her great great etc grandmother."

Mon-El snorted softly. "Still can't believe how that happened," he muttered, then glanced over at Brainy. "That's why you're here, right? To make sure you being with Nia didn't screw anything up?"

"Fundamentally," Brainy agreed stiffly. "When I recalled Nura and her connection to Nia Nal, I realized I would be unable to rest until I knew if us being together hurt her in some way." He glanced at Winn. "I am... attempting to be hopeful, but I am prepared for the worst."

Winn's mouth scrunched sympathetically, but Mon-El just nodded. "Time travel really knows how to screw up relationships," he said, sighing a little wistfully.

They reached a tall, glass-and-steel building and Mon-El quickly scanned his thumbprint before pulling open a door. Brainy stepped inside after him and Winn and inhaled deeply. It may have been a different building, but it still smelled the same.

"You alright?" Mon-El asked, jutting his chin at him.

Brainy realized he was still standing in the doorway, his eyes half-closed. "Yes," he said, regaining control over himself and beginning to walk again. "My apologies. My olfactory bulb unexpectedly activated my hippocampus, leading to a rush of memories that I was... not prepared for."

Winn reached over and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "She's on floor three," he replied simply. "Do you want to go up alone?"

"That would be nice," Brainy said, nodding a little. "I will... return shortly."

He walked towards the lift and stepped inside. In seconds, the incredibly smooth mechanics of the 31st Century elevator brought him to a gentle stop on the third floor. Brainy stepped out of the lift, and a figure standing at one of the many floor-length windows turned around.

His breath caught. For an impossible moment, as she was standing in a patch of sun that made her too bright to see clearly, Brainy thought she was Nia. But then she moved forward and a shaft of shadow fell across her face.

"_Nura_," Brainy whispered.

Nura's face broke into a beaming smile and she let out a squeal. "Brainy!" She raced forward and launched herself into his arms, hugging him with a gusto that she must have gotten from her ancestor. "_Ugh_, you were gone for so long. You barely even message me anymore! What has life been like in the 21st Century? Are you still a superhero? Winn said you joined his old team. What are they like?" She pulled back, and smiled even wider at him. "Sorry, sorry, too many questions. How was the trip? Do you want anything to eat?"

Brainy squinted and raised his eyebrows, trying to keep up. He had forgotten how high-energy and fast-paced Nura could be when she was excited. Nia was a lot calmer... but he really needed to stop comparing the two of them. Related though they were, they were two very different women.

Nura tilted her head a little, smile fading slightly. "You know, I had a dream about you," she said. "Just last week, even before Winn said you were coming home. You're not here to visit, are you?"

"No," Brainy replied slowly, hating that he was being forced to bring up his real reason for returning to the 31st Century so soon after arriving. "I needed to... I needed to check that things hadn't changed."

Nura frowned, then took his arm and lead him towards one of the chairs positioned near the window. "What do you mean "changed"?" she asked curiously. "Like, butterfly effect style?"

"Rather like that, yes," Brainy agreed. "I was worried that... certain things that I have done in the 21st Century will have had... consequences here."

Nura's frown deepened, but it was more one of thoughtfulness than distaste. "So, what have you done? Did you accidentally introduce futuristic tech before it was supposed to be invented? Or did you, like, defeat a villain that should have actually gone on to do terrible stuff in the future?"

"I-" There was no easy or tactful way to say this. "No. I fell in love with a woman who will later become your great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandmother."

Nura blinked, having lost the impact of his words behind the 39 "greats". "Wait... what?"

"I fell in love with your great-"

"Yes, yes okay!" Nura threw up her hands before Brainy could start again, and he smiled just a little bit at the reaction. "So you fell in love with my ancestor? That's wild, Brainy. What is she like?"

"She's like you.." Brainy replied. "But different. She has your eyes and your cheekbones and your hair but she has a different smile. She is approximately 1.34 inches taller than you."

"Yes..." Nura allowed. "But what is she _like_?"

He frowned for a moment before answering a little more slowly. "She is more reserved than you, in some ways, but she doesn't think before she acts most of the time. She is so, so _very_ good with words. She loves to put her hand on my cheek..." he trailed off, touching his own face with his hand as an example and feeling the ghost of Nia's fingertips on his skin. "And tell me how good and strong and _hers_ I am."

"She sounds amazing," Nura murmured, her eyes creasing with gentle happiness. "So why aren't you there, with her? Why are you here, Brainy?"

"Because..." His voice wavered. Explaining his intentions to Winn and Mon-El had been so different than talking about them to Nura, with her kind, caring smile and her eyes that looked so much like Nia's. "Because I was afraid, Nura. Of what my actions in the 21st Century could do to you. I love Nia. I will never love anyone but Nia. I know that more truly than I know the numbers of Pi. But if we are together... what about you?"

"What about me?" Nura asked, smiling gently at him. "Brainy, if you love Nia and you know that you could never be torn apart... then you two are meant to happen. I really believe that. If I was going to be erased from existence, I already would be."

Brainy sat back. His hands were trembling as Nura took them and gave them a squeeze. "Go back to Nia," she whispered. "If she is really the one for you, the only way it could change the future is for good."

**Author's Note: ****_Ugh,_** **omg, the FEELSSS :O I always forget how fun and fulfilling stories with concrete plots are. I'm always so proud of them when I can get a good plot rolling and then wrap it all up by the end :)))**

**Brainia will be back together by the next chapter, I hope! Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you all are enjoying it was much as I am. (and I'm enjoying it quite a bit, considering that I've just been writing for the past hour and fifteen minutes and would keep going except it's 10:15 XD)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: We back :)) As I'm writing this (tho hopefully not as you're reading this), I have a power outage so my classes are cancelled until nooooon yay. (well kind of yay. I love my College Comp class because the group is great and I will be sad to miss them. But still, it gives me a little more writing time :)**

When someone broke up with you, Nia knew that the healthy decision wasn't to stay holed up in your room for a week straight, calling in sick at work and subsisting on nothing but your roommates attempts to get you to eat.

She wasn't normally like that. The last few times she'd been broken up with, Nia had forced herself to work all day and keep going until she absolutely couldn't keep her eyes open. Then she would crash in bed, sleep, and start the cycle all over again. It kept her from thinking and dwelling and moping.

Not this time. Nia had spent the almost the entirety of the last 82 hours in bed. She didn't have any energy anymore. Nia knew she was falling into a pretty deep depression, but, ever since finding out Brainy's motives for leaving, she had never felt so lost. Brainy had been her whole heart in a way that she had never experienced before.

And she hadn't even told him.

Brainy would tell her he loved her almost twice a day. Nia thought he loved being able to say the words almost more than he actually meant them at some points, but it still made her feel warm every time. And yet, when the natural pause came after his "I love you, Nia Nal," where she _should_ smile and say, "I love you, too, Brainy"... Nia never did. She usually just looked fondly at him and cupped his cheek or gave his hand a squeeze or teased him about buttering her up to get her to do something for him. But she never said it back.

Nia wasn't sure why. She wasn't afraid of love, exactly. She had just never been with someone she cared about as much as Brainy, someone who was really exactly what she never knew she needed and wanted and loved.

Nia wished she could just tell him that. Maybe, if she had, he wouldn't have left.

There was a knock at Nia's door and she sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I'm not hungry, Yvette," she mumbled into her pillow, just loud enough that she hoped her roommate would hear.

"Nia?" That wasn't Yvette. Nia sat up a little. "It's Kara. Can I come in?"

Nia hesitated for a moment. Then, "Yeah, okay."

Her door creaked open, and Kara flicked on the light. Nia squealed and covered her eyes. "Kara! A little warning!"

"Nope." Kara shook her head sternly and all but dragged Nia out of bed. "I have had about enough of you sitting her and moping around. Brainy left you. It sucks, I know. I've been there. But you're never going to get over it if you spend the rest of your life in bed."

Nia pouted, feeling like a little kid being reprimanded. "I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life in bed," she mumbled unconvincingly.

"Uh huh," Kara rolled her eyes and grabbed Nia's arm. "Come on. Get a cute outfit and take a shower."

She paused being a drill sergeant long enough to give Nia a tight hug. "You'll feel better," she whispered. "Everything's always better after a shower and a change of clothes."

Nia nodded, squeezing her eyes tightly together so she didn't start crying again. She would have thought with the amount of crying she had already been doing, she wouldn't have had any tears left. But apparently that wasn't the case.

Kara gave her a gentle push, and Nia walked off to take a shower.

**linebreaker**

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for just a _little_ bit longer?" Nura asked, smiling in a way that was partly teasing and partly pleading. "You haven't even been home for twenty-four hours."

Brainy smiled faintly. "Nura... this isn't my home anymore," he said. "Nia Nal... _she_ is my home. I will miss you terribly, but... I must return to her. I cannot- I cannot even fathom how she is feeling at the moment."

Nura's lips turned downward. "Grief doesn't run well in a simulation, huh?" she said sympathetically. Brainy shook his head, looking distraught, and she gave his forearm a squeeze. "Okay. I get it. Do you want me to make the return trip with you, to give you some company?"

Brainy shook his head again. "No. If you come with me you will have to bring someone else so you can return home. I am the only one of us able to maneuver the time ship alone. I will send it back on autopilot or... with myself, if Nia... no longer wants me."

"_Brainy_..." Nura shut her eyes in exasperation. "She's going to want you. I mean, if she's anything like me you may just get slapped in the face, but... eventually, with a little time to heal, she'll take you back. _Especially_ if she figured out why you came. Nia doesn't seem like the type to hold grudge against actions that were done off of heroism."

Brainy nodded, feeling more hopeful than he had since he spoke with Mon-El over a week ago. "Thank you, Nura," he said softly, reaching forward to squeeze her hands. "I'm sorry I cannot stay with you for longer."

She smiled at him and leaned up on her tip-toes to kiss him on the forehead. "Go get her, Brainy."

**linebreaker**

When Nia got back to CatCo, there were at least three vases of flowers on her desk, along with various get well cards. She felt her eyes well up with tears, but for the first time in a week they weren't because of Brainy. She glanced around at her coworkers, most of whom were standing and watching her with sympathetic smiles on their faces.

"Thank you guys," Nia whispered, clumsily wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I really- I really appreciate this."

The crowd dispersed, and Kara followed Nia the rest of the way to her desk. They moved some of the flowers to the floor so she'd have room to work, and then Kara perched carefully on the edge of the desk. "Will you be okay for a little bit?" she asked gently. "I need to get an article done before Andrea bites of my head and eats it for her lunch break."

Nia snorted with laughter. It had been so long, smiling felt strange to her face. "Yeah, I'll be..." She was going to say "okay", but she wasn't sure if she was there quite yet. "Yeah."

Kara nodded, understanding, and then got up to head to her office. Nia sat down at her desk and opened her computer. Her unread emails count was edging towards 300, and she let out a sigh before beginning the arduous process of going through her messages.

The hours dragged on as Nia answered emails and caught up on work. Every time she paused for water or to brush her hair back or to stretch, thoughts of Brainy came rushing back into her head. By 1:00 she still hadn't taken her lunch break, because apart of her was too afraid of what she would start thinking about and crying at CatCo.

Kara stopped by at around 1:30. "I can hear your stomach growling from across the room," she said flatly. "And yes, that's because of my super hearing, but I don't care. Have you stopped working at all yet?"

"No," Nia mumbled, casting her eyes down instead of looking at Kara. "Hey, I didn't even want to come here in the first place. It's not my fault that I don't want to stop and let everything catch up with me."

Kara let out a sigh. "It's one extreme to another with you, huh?" she said, but she sounded more fondly exasperated than annoyed. "Come on. Let's go get some-"

"If you say pizza, I _will_ start crying," Nia warned her, voice wobbling slightly.

Kara winced. "Noted. How about we go the _super_ healthy route and have donuts for lunch?"

Nia shrugged her agreement and got her bag, standing up and following Kara out of the office. She squinted and rubbed her face as they walked outside, the sunlight making her eyes water. "I've been looking at a screen too long," she muttered, pushing her hair out of her face as she watched the flow of people on the sidewalks.

"I must have been, too..." Kara said faintly. Her eyes were on the sky and when Nia followed her gaze she felt her chest seize up. "Because that up there looks _exactly_ like the Legion ship."

**Author's Note: I can always tell when I'm running out of ideas... my sections get shorter and my word count starts to diminish.**

**Ack! I know I said that Brainy and Nia would be in the chapter together but just hang on for ****_oneee_**** more... it didn't fit into this one because I wanted to end with the drama XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: My computer is colddd and it's making me unhappy... but Brainia makes me happy so let's write them :))**

Nia reached over and grabbed Kara's arm. Her legs were trembling violently and her pulse was pounding so fast she thought she was about to have a heart attack.

"Take a deep breath," Kara instructed, as calmly as she could. "I'm not going to let you get your hopes up."

"Who else could it be?" Nia demanded, voice shaking. "He- he came back."

"_I'm not going to let you get your hopes up_," Kara repeated, more sternly. She knew that if Nia thought that Brainy was there and it turned out to be someone else, no matter how unlikely that may have been, it would shatter her. "Let's go check it out, okay? Make sure they land okay and- and see who it is."

Nia nodded, swallowing, and she and Kara hurried to the closest unoccupied space so Kara could change into Supergirl and blast them into the air. Nia was too impatient to worry about her Dreamer costume, which was currently abandoned in a drawer at her apartment. She would have to be a civilian for this one, and just hope that no one made the connection.

The ship had just touched down when Kara and Nia arrived. Whoever was piloting the machine was doing a much better job than last time... they had actually managed to land it on a stretch of abandoned parking lot outside of a car dealership instead of crashing in the water. As Kara set Nia on the ground, the door panel of the ship slid open and a figure ran out.

"Oh my God," Nia whispered, turning to hide her face in Kara's shoulder. "_Oh my God_."

"Nia!" the figure called, and Brainy began to run towards the two women. "I have returned!"

Nia let out a desperate, watery laugh and broke away from Kara, meet him in the middle. They collided in a hug that Nia only let last a couple of seconds before she pulled back and slapped him in the face. "You _jerk_!" she cried as Brainy cringed and rubbed at his now-sensitive face. Considering his cheek was usually where she gently laid her palm made the slap all the more meaningful.

"I am so sorry," Brainy said, shaking his head over and over and over like he might be able to shake what he had done out of the past. "So, so sorry. I never meant to cause you any pain."

"Yeah, well you did," Nia shot back lamely, her eyes welling up and breath coming in shaky pants. "I- I stayed in my room for, like _three days_ because of you!"

Brainy shut his eyes, looking even more distraught. "It has been three days?" he moaned, covering his face with his hands. "I was intending to land the ship only a few hours after it had left!"

"I don't- that-" Nia gave him a solid shove. It was nice to actually be able to touch him, but it was even more satisfying to get him to experience even just a _fraction _of the pain she had felt over the past few days, so she did it a few more times for good measure. "That- _shove-_ doesn't -_shove-_ make it any better -_shove_-. You shouldn't have left at all, or at least not without me! Or- or without _telling_ me. And don't you _dare_ say you told me- you left me a _letter_. On my _desk_. I dropped my coffee mug and got coffee all over my blouse and burned myself because of that stupid letter!"

Brainy lowered his hands, and she saw that he was crying. She squeezed her eyes shut and reached out for him again, arms twining around his back. The shape of his shoulder blades were so familiar against her palms, and when she moved her hand up to get a better grip on him she could feel the soft strands of his long hair tickling her fingers.

Brainy hugged her back, burying his face in her shoulder. "I could not tell you in person," he whispered. "If I had, I wouldn't have been able to leave. And I- I could not take me with you because I did not know if I could return."

Nia pulled back again, but not too far, and she didn't slap him this time. "You- you were really going to stay?" she asked, hurt filling up the cracks in her voice. "You were going to leave me? You were _planning_ to leave me?"

Brainy broke away from her, pushing his hands through his hair. "I had- I had to make certain that us being together would not erase Nura Nal, your descendant, from existence," he explained rapidly. "If it would have... then I would have _had_ to stay. I could not- I could not _possibly_ live in the 21st Century and not be with you."

"_Ugh_." Nia put her hands to her face and pushed, hard. "I want to be mad at you you stupid, genius, _idiot_. But when you go and- and do something heroic like that I just- I can't."

A relived smiled broke over Brainy's face. "Nura thought that you would behave like that," he said softly. "I- I had hoped that you would... understand."

"Hold up," Nia ordered, dropping her hands and pointing accusatorially at him. "Don't get me wrong; I'm still _pissed_. But I probably won't be in a few days. Maybe." She frowned contemplatively. "Depends on how you make it up to me."

Brainy reached forward and cupped her face, stepping in close and kissing her. Nia hummed appreciatively and ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the familiar feeling of his lips against hers and their noses bumping gently together.

He pulled back, and she smiled a little. "There you go," she whispered. "That's a good start."

**Linebreaker**

Brainy and Nia were acting much in the same way as they had when they had first started dating. Alex watched them across the meeting room, sitting as close as the chairs could allow. Nia's head was on Brainy's shoulder in a way that must have been uncomfortable considering the distance they were forced to have between them, and their fingers twined together and resting on her thigh. They hadn't moved apart from each other since Kara flew them back to the DEO.

Alex had also slapped Brainy in the face, though fortunately for him it had been on the other cheek. Then she had proceeded to yell at him for five minutes straight about his commitments to the DEO and their team and his _family, gosh darnit_, until Brainy had actually covered his face with his hand and cried. Then Alex had felt guilty, and hugged him, and proceeded to shove him, Nia, Kara and herself into a briefing room.

"I just can't believe you went all the way back to the 31st Century just to check on Nura," Kara was saying, shaking her head slowly. "I mean, couldn't you just call?"

"Time travel is... odd like that," Brainy said with a shrug. "It was a more reliable option for me to actually go and make sure. Not... easier, in any way. But more reliable."

"I don't get what it did, though," Nia mumbled. Since Brainy had gotten back, she had felt some sort of peace inside her for the first time in four days. She was exhausted emotionally and mentally and all she wanted to do was go back to his place to cuddle on the couch and watch TV and pretend that nothing had happened.

"What do you mean?" Brainy asked gently, reaching his free hand over and rubbing it down her arm.

"Like..." Nia paused for a moment to organize her thoughts. "We're not... married, and I'm not pregnant or anything-" In the next second she had jolted upright and was whipping to face her boyfriend. "Oh my gosh, I'm not pregnant, right?"

Brainy frowned. "I... believe that's something that you would know, not me."

"Okay, just checking," Nia breathed out, relieved. She settled back down to rest her head on Brainy's shoulder again. "Anyway, what if we're not serious enough for the future to have set? Like, what if our relationship continues and _then_ Nura vanishes from existence because of that."

"She's got a point," Alex put in, nodding her agreement. "You two have only been dating for a few months. Your future together isn't set in stone yet, which means that Nura isn't safe."

"It is... a little hard to explain," Brainy answered slowly. "But... to me, our future _is_ set in stone. Nia Nal... you are it for me. I think that you are my future, and- and Nura believed that, because I think that, if the future was going to change it would have already."

Nia lifted her head up, looking at him with large eyes. "Brainy..." she whispered. "I-"

"Shh..." He lifted his hand up to her cheek like she always did to him when she was trying to soothe him or get him to pay special attention to her. "You don't have to say it."

"Of course I do," Nia argued, shaking her head and dislodging his hand. "I didn't before you left and I swear it _haunted_ me. We're superheroes- we have no idea what's going to happen next. So... I want to tell you... that I love you."

A smile cracked Brainy's tender expression and he pressed his lips to hers. "I love you too, Nia Nal," he whispered. "And it's why I did all of this. I will never leave you again."

"Really?" Nia murmured, gazing up at him.

"Yes," Brainy told her, firmly, with no room for uncertainly in his voice. "I did all of this for you. I did it all so I could stay."

**Author's Note: I LOOOOOVE ending stories with the titleeee yay :D **

**Soooo that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this latest Brainia story. I'm confident... if Supergirl keeps pumping out the Brainia inspo like they have been already this season, you can expect ****_many_**** more Brainia fics in the coming school year :)**


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